At the end of Ramaddan each year, the Turkish administrators at the charter school that I taught at would hold a post-Ramadan feast, inviting all of the teachers from the school. I always thought that was such a nice gesture, a kind of bonding experience -- a bridging of cultures sort of deal. But then I found out that the money that most likely paid for the dinner was coming from my taxpaying pocket.

I guess it always goes back to the money... the money...the Tuzuk money. Where is that money going? After all Ramadan only comes along once a year, and it's not like they gave out big bonus checks at Christmas, and Lord knows, the pay was way below that of public school teachers. So where is that money going?

Let's see, every payday the Turkish guys (and gals) had to give back up to 40% of their salaries in cash to the business manager (he's a Turkish guy in case you have not been reading), and then in turn the regional money collector (another Turkish guy --- I guess you already figured that out), shows up and snatches up the cash. Now if the Turkish guys and gals do not give up the cash on schedule they get a not so friendly reminder (relax, it's only an email, no broken bones ala Soprano). Okay, so now the collector has the dough -- and who does he give it to? Sorry, but that is where the trail stops, I haven't been able to follow it past that point ( wonder if the feds have yet).

But let's talk money. If you average out the money that they are extorting from their fellow homeboys (according to the Tuzuk terms), and let's say there are 10 schools in Ohio, they are raking in about at least $1.5 million bucks a year. Now multiply that by another 110 school in the US. and we are looking at about $120 - 150 millions dollars a year in tax free money. I'm an English major, but even I know that's a whole lot of money and it's not going towards paying for a post-Ramadan feast for school employees.

And more importantly, it's not going back into the school bank account to fund our children's education (remember, the money originally came from federal and state funding). Now that could be the reason that the IRS was closed...maybe they were meeting with the regional money collector so that he could pay taxes on all that money that was being laundered (but then -- that would be an oxymoron of sorts).

So let me extend my most heartfelt gratitude for the Ramaddan dinner, but next time, can you just give my government back the taxpayer's money that you stole?